LandYachting... cruising with the crew of Inishnee

April -Dec 2021

Land Cruising with the crew of Inishnee

April

The crew of Inishnee was long overdue for a trip ‘home’… so on April 1st we boarded a plane bound for Miami, Fl. We had spent the last 15 months in Grenada. Relatively safe from hurricanes and Covid. 

An uneventful flight and a 3 hour car ride, we were reunited with Stephen and Amanda, son and daughter-in-law, living in North Port, Florida. This will be our base for our next adventure…

Stephen and Amanda would soon welcome the birth of their daughter, Willow… and become first time home owners… both in the final stages of procuring  

We had decided months ago it was time for us to split our time between our floating home, Inishnee, and a life on land… We planned to buy an RV for travel / living while in the US and continue to live aboard Inishnee durning the winter months. We had a rough idea what we wanted, having scoured the internet for months while in Grenada… so we were on the hunt immediately to find an RV and ground transportation.  Within a couple weeks we found and bought a car, a Honda Fit with manual transmission for flat towing (all four wheels on the ground) behind our yet to be found /  purchased RV… 

The RV search would prove to be a bit more challenging since everyone, or so it seems, was into RVing during the pandemic.  We drove to Bessemer, Alabama ‘knowing’ we had found the perfect RV for us… Unfortunately, it had more issues than we felt we wanted to risk a purchase on, so deflated, we drove back to North Port.  We looked at numerous RVs in Florida then found another “perfect for us’ one in Minnesota! We booked one way flights because we were going to drive this one back to Florida … but, it was not as advertised.  Quite disappointing, but we had a FABULOUS bonus visit with son Alex and family who live in Minnesota…  

While there and plotting our next move we received a call from an unknown number… the caller wanted to know if we were still interest in the RV they had listed on RV Trader.  After reviewing the specs, webooked another flight … to Maryland.  Within an hour we knew it was the one for us!  We took a hotel room while waiting on paper work to be finalized… 

5 days and pile of cash later… we drove off in our new to us Land Yacht…. A Tiffin Allegro, Breeze 32.  Much bigger (33 feet) than we thought we wanted but it was in excellent shape and great quality rig.  We weren’t buying it for ‘camping’… it would be our state side home for half of the year… 

We (Jim) drove her back to Florida where we would ‘outfit’ her and get her legal.  We are Florida residents so registering  Arvie (her name) in Florida would be prudent. After receiving the clear Title in the mail we prepared ourselves to write a big fat check to the state of Florida and get Her licensed.  We had no inkling of the debacle it would turnout ti be… 

Trip #1 to Florida DMV / Charlotte County: 

… We were told we needed the official milage recored on a affidavit before we could register her. So, back to Arvie to record, etc…

Trip #2 to FL DMV / Charlotte County

The affidavit HAS to be witnessed/ verified AT the vehicle and signed by someone from the FL DMV or a Police officer … back to Arvie and wait for the police (the neighbors were just a bit interested in the new RV on the block that already needed a visit from the cops…) 

Trip #3 to FL DMV / Charlotte County

Okay, 3rd times the charm right?  

Milage recorded properly…

But, we wanted to registered Arvie in our Trust’s name which we don’t have the papers for because they are locked on a box in Michigan…. after multiple conversations with different officials, we signed another affidavit putting the RV in our names only… phew, dodged that bullet…  Now we present our Florida drivers license to complete to process. BUT, now, after 3 consecutive visits we are told for the first time we are in the WRONG county! We must go to Clay county (per new covid regulations)… near Jacksonville where our official address is.

So… we pack up Arvie and drove (with NO license plates!) drove 250 some miles to Clay County. 

At the marina parking lot / field where we planned to ‘camp’ we promptly ran aground with our Land Yacht.  stuck in the sand… The loan of a shovel and a few old paving tiles under the tires, a lot of luck and a number of cuss words… we were able to free ourselves from the sand lot.  

Trip # 4 to FL DMV / Clay County 

The receptionist asked first thing to see our drivers license… okay, were getting somewhere now!

Next we see the clerk. We present the Title AND our copy of the Trust we had emailed to us! … great… but they need an ‘official’ copy… the kind with a stamp or something… ugggh

But, they finally agree after much consideration to let us sign an affidavit and put it in our names and not the trust… 

Now we show our drivers license… which is issued to the county of which we are residents and are currently standing in their DMV…  The clerk takes one look and says our license is illegal ! Not valid...  because we use a mail service as our address…

The straw that broke the camels back?…. we are close to that now.

Now there’s a LOT of intervention going on... clerks talking to supervisors. supervisors shaking heads… conferring and consulting…

but finally, a solution! we have to promise that when we renew our drivers license we will return to their office and use the LICENSE PLATE number of Arvie for our address….

and, yes, they still wanted that big fat check to process the deal…

So. Arvie is finally legal and we are free to move about the country… Next stop… North Port, Florida… it’s still too cold up north for us.

Back in North Port we got to know Arvie and continued to adapt to land-living.  Our little blue Toad (Honda Fit) is awesome! We can come and go and NEVER get dinghy butt!  hahhaha

May…

Stephen and Amanda closed on their house the end of April and spent the first weekend in demo mode.  They were able to find a perfect for them home in their neighborhood at a good price. Structurally sound, it was in need of some renovation and deep cleaning. A dividing wall was removed, tile flooring replaced with laminate, wallpaper stripped … We helped as much as possible. Their friends and neighbors all contributed something… A month+ of weekends would be filled with demo and rebuilding. Painting and repairing before moving in…

Willow, their daughter will have a lovely home with her parents!

With the weather warming, we decided it was time to put some miles on Arvie… 3 days, more or less, north to Michigan the first leg of our Great Loop trip. Boaters know the Great Loop as traveling a system of waterways making a LOOP… traveling up the US eastern seaboard, transiting the Great Lakes, turning south at Chicago and going down the Mississippi River. Into the Gulf, go down and around Florid and up the east Coast… We’ll be doing our own version with Arvie and the Wee Blue Toad

 

June

We hadn’t been ‘home’ for two years… lots had changed of course.  Our daughter Theresa had a baby in our absence!  A beautiful and cleaver girl, Grace stole our hearts with her big eyes and warm smile.  She’s easy going and fun. We pic-nicked and played games enjoying our visits with her and her mom.

Saugatuck had been our home for over 25 years… we had many friends which all welcomed us back ‘home’ in many ways.  Because Covid was always on all our minds, Arvie allowed us to stay in a bubble of sorts.  Few things are better than a Mid West summer with friends...

Carrie and Kathy made their annual trip to Shipshewana (flea market); catching up and reminiscing…

Carrie and Janis hosted a lovely intimate meal for us with Bob and Linda…

Bill and Terry took us sailing! Awesome to be on Lake Michigan again…

Denny and Carol invited us on their boat for an afternoon, though we didn't have time for boat ride it was nice to be boating on Champagne Lady.  

Kristin and Paul had a cookout on their property and invited friends Dave and Rose… What a feast… and, they ‘gifted’ us a bolt of vinyl . We will use it for our upcoming reupholstering project in Arie. Many, many thanks!!!

We left Arvie in Michigan and drove the Toad to Chicago. Many of Jim’s family live in and around there.  Several visits with Jean, Jim’s mom were cherished. Jean lives in an apartment complex for seniors.  With memory issues she's in a good place and very happy! 

Uncle Dudley and Aunt Eileen are well and live in the same complex as Jean.

Sisters Marianne and Peggy hosted us, making us feel incredibly loved and welcome…

We spent some time with cousin Jim and Ninos and Mary Nee on the rooftop deck of Marianne’s apartment.

Tom and Adriela put on an excellent spread for us at the Chicago Apartment… 

So excellent to catch up with everyone!  Happy to say they are all well…

Back in Michigan, we met up with Jake and Sue; another wonderful outdoor picnic with more sailing buddies. Jake and Sue have been kind enough to also provide a temporary home for our storage trailer… Sadly its roof sprung a leak damaging a few things inside. We disposed of the ‘rubbish’ and moved things around so the leak wouldn’t ruin anything more, we hoped.  Plans underway for repairs and a thorough cleaning before winter…

We headed Up North to Gaylord and Johannesburg.

Camping along the way…

My sister Terry and her husband Harold welcomed us on their property to ‘camp’… A nice private spot and close to town.  Another opportunity to reconnect after years and miles of separation…  

Helen is Kathy’s mom, 97 years young and managing well, mostly on her own.  It was a joyful reunion for Kathy and Helen… Moms sight has diminished so her crocheting of afghans is hindered.   She’s found a creative outlet in coloring images from adult coloring books. 

Family members check in on her regularly.  Jim and I are forever grateful to our awesome families for being the caregivers to our moms…  

Arvie and crew moved to Kathy’s brother and sister in laws property near Johannesburg after a few days… Gary and Nancy own a Game Ranch (deer), their home sitting on the highest hill for miles around.  The views are spectacular at The Grand View Ranch, reaching 50 miles…

Nancy made their garage available to us for staging our HUGE reupholstery project.  

Our brand / model RV had one big flaw.  Unbeknownst to Tiffin or FlexSteel (RV furniture manufacturer) they received a bad patch of fabric which did not become apparent for many years… making it unsightly and  a mess to clean up the peeling surface layer. 

Nancy has much experience in reupholstering furniture and was crucial to the project going so well… it took 4 full days with 3 of us working all day, and one day with Gary helping too.  We had to remove the furniture from Arie, carefully remove the fabric and labeled the pieces to use as patterns, then cut and sewed the new pieces and reassemble, mainly with staples… Thousands were pulled to remove the old fabric from the wooden frame parts. 

The finished product is fantastic!  White was not our first choice for color but free was too hard to resist… thank you again Kristin and Paul… and Nancy for your many hours of help!

After the upholstery work week we retreated to the ‘ponds’ and enjoyed a couple of days data free, with the deer and fawns wandering through the fields, all on site at Grand View Ranch.

July…

Our next stop would be Eagan, Minnesota.  We conspired with Alex and Nicki (wife) to meet us in Wisconsin… not letting their kids in on the surprise.  We set up camp and waited to the family to arrive… The girls were flabbergasted to see us.  We all enjoyed a day / night of Glamping in the “Rolling Mansion”… as the girls would later call it.  

The girls traveled back to Eagan with us in the Rolling Mansion.  We parked Arvie in their drive and slept in their home… a great and necessary plan since their driveway is very slopped and it was extremely hot there in July.  

We had a wonderful time getting reacquainted with the Minnesota grand-girls, Nora and Natalie and Alex and Nicki… Walks and playgrounds, swimming lessons and bbqs… 

We managed to find a few days at a campground near their home that had availability, most people plan months in advance for camping, not our style though.

We packed up the “Mansion’ moved to the campground. The plan was to have the girls for a 3 night 4 day camping extravaganza… The youngest, Natalie, wasn’t quite sure if she could leave mom and dad for so long but we assured her we would take her home if she really wanted to go…

Not sure who had more fun or who was the most tired every night... we all had a blast. Crafting and cooking. Swimming and trekking… Grandkids are such a delight! 

Soon after our arrival in Minnesota, Stephen called us with the news that Willow burst into the world like a whorl wind ! They nearly didn't make it to the hospital before she was born.  Mom, baby and daddy are all doing well !

August

The Minnesota Nee’s were leaving on a family vacation out west so it was time for Arvie and crew to move on too… we retraced our tire-treads and headed back to Michigan, meandering along the way.  

More visits with the Michigan families and friends …. 

A quick visit with Adam and Melissa was a treasure!  Two extraordinary people living their best life and raising 3 amazing boys.  

Back in Holland we camped at Bob and Linda’s… friends from waaaay back. More dinners and great conversations.  

Jim drove off for a visit to Chicago after delivering Kathy at the airport for a flight to Florida to meet Willow, two weeks of snuggles and burps, naps and cuddles lay ahead… Stephen and Amanda along with pup Apollo were adjusting nicely to their lovely new home and family life. They had managed to get their home remodeled and moved in a couple weeks before willow joined them.  A labor of love! pun intended

September

The temps were heading south, the leaves starting to change to we clearly needed to get a move on.  We headed toward New Jersey where we were to visit Ben and Amy and their adorable energetic two kids, Keegan and Callie… 

We concocted another meet up in the Delaware River Gap area for a weekend of camping and hiking.  

Jim and Kathy toured the Wolf Preserve near the campground, interesting experience culminating with the pack coaxed into an afternoon howl… 

The ‘kids’ arrived and we were ready for an excursion… Ben and Amy had hiked the area numerous times and knew a few easy hikes for us to take.  

Nighttime campfires complete with ‘pies’ toasted over the coals was a treat.

Ben and family had to go home but we stayed another couple days to explore a bit more of the area before packing up and heading to their home.  We had an ideal spot at the back of their property… More backyard fun with the kids and a few touristy trips rounded out our time.

We were able to work in a trip to Boston to visit Rich and Mary… Jim’s brother and wife.  We left Arvie in New Jersey and drove the 5+ hours north…  Rich and Mary showed us a great time, touring Boston, eating excellent home cooked meals and exploring the rich history of the area… Old Ironsides, Freedom Trail, Concord Bridge (shot heard round the world), Bunker Hill… 

We Celebrated Jim’s birthday on our way back to New Jersey, stopping for an overnight near the Hudson River and a couple of hikes in the Delaware River Gap.

We had an excellent time with Ben, Amy and family back in New Jersey.  More family nights, movies and kid shenanigans.  The days continued getting shorter and cooler; we found the need to run the heater more and more… so, once again we needed to get a move on and follow the sun south.  Unfortunately, so did hundreds !!! of stink bugs.  Our lovely, shady parking spot at the Burns Compound (Ben and Amy’s) was a perfect habitat for these innocuous creatures, and they loved our cozy little setup … their daily march crawling out of air ducts and vents, buzzing around and generally wreaking havoc to the inhabitants of Arvie was DisGusTing!!! We will NOT be returning to New Jersey for a fall visit… please make note, we’ll see you in the spring…

October

Being close to Washington DC and so many historic places we spent a couple weeks exploring the area as we slowly worked our way southward.  With school in session and Covid still a thing, many museums and the National Mall were near empty. We camped outside of the City and took the train in daily…

Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space

Museum of Natural History

National Museum of the American Indian

Arlington National Cemetery

Further south we stopped at Colonial Williamsburg for couple of days and 

we visited Yorktown…

and Norfolk VA which has a fantastic Nautical Museum… (you can take the crew off the boat but you can’t take the boat off their mind) 

Our camping ground near Norfolk provided some unexpected nighttime entertainment. 

Our closest ‘neighbors’ came in just before dark. 5 people piling out of a big Buick… after stretching and taking in the view of the little lake, they were ready to set up camp. Their trunk however would not open.  What followed was much hammering and prying to no avail.  After an hour and dark taking hold, the elder of the group decided it was time to get serious. With pry bar in hand (no idea where it came from) he was about to jimmi’ the trunk open... one way or another.  Jim when to see if he could assist… A quick Google search, the solution was found. The anti theft button had been accidentally activated. Once located the trunk ‘popped’ open and the campers were ecstatic… 

We lit our campfire and had just settled round it when our another neighbor pulled in… Two men with NO clue how to set up a brand new in the box, tent… after dark. They provided us with top grade humor for the next hour or more… Frequent trips to their car to consult the tent manual and maybe fortify their demeanor through a bit of smoke… they managed to erect enough of a shelter to sleep in / under.  

The Blue Ridge Parkway including the Great Smokey Mountains !  We worked our way down and over to the Parkway. We consulted numerous sources as to whether our coach (Arvie) would be able to manage the hills, switchbacks? and tunnels!!! The local tourism hut provided us with excellent info and assured us we could do it! We were about a week ahead of the ‘color tour’ so the traffic was sparse. The roads were well maintained and easy to negotiate.  No switch backs, though a few narrow sections.  Spectacular views. We had to plan our rest stops so we wouldn’t need to turn around because it’s not possible to flat tow a vehicle and back up without serious damage to the vehicle and tow mechanism. 

We found campgrounds along the way just off the parkway.  What we didn't plan for was a fuel stop; which we unfortunately use a significant amount off. Google maps directed us to a short (HAH !!) detour to a nearby town with diesel. It was not, let me be clear… NOT!!! meant for a 33 foot RV pulling a toad (tow vehicle)…. It was the worst driving experience we’ve ever had! A steep, narrow switchback road. Fun, even exciting in a nice little car… which we were not! Jim’s skill at big rig driving was invaluable… as was our good fortune that not once did we meet a car on a turn…. After a hair-raising, breathtaking, squeal making (Kathy) 20some miles, we made it down in one piece, Toad still happily connected.

We fueled up and took a nice looong lunch. We consulted a paper map and Google and asked a trucker passing through what options we had so we could go back up to the parkway and continue our trip…

Easy Peasy… just a few miles down the road was a nice wide road back up the mountain also used by logging trucks.  It was a beautiful trip up a lovely mountain road built for big rigs…. Coincidently we ended up a couple miles before the road we had just exited on so we didn’t miss any part of the Parkway.

We spent last night at Daddy Rabbits Campground.  Never saw Daddy or rabbits… but had a good nights sleep.  

The next morning, back on the Parkway.  We stopped for lunch at the highest elevation on the Parkway at 6,053 feet, The Richard Balsam Overlook. 

The final stretch of the southbound Parkway is through the Blue Ridge Mountain range. 

It culminates in multiple tunnels with height restrictions for tall vehicles, around12 feet. If we stayed to the center and no oncoming traffic, we would be all right…  We stopped to measure our height, twice…(11 feet and inches) and proceeded… We found the light at the end of the tunnels and the end of the Parkway… 469 miles. Rockfish Gap to Cherokee, North Carolina.  

We then headed for the East Coast. Stops in Savannah and New Brunswick, GA, visiting boating friends. Then south… Florida State line and Titusville, more sailing friends. 

We completed our Great Loop ending back in North Port, Florida… 

We parked Arvie at Stephen and Amanda’s new home, their double lot perfect for us to ‘camp’ outback with our own drive / road access.  Camping with ‘family benefits’… 

Willow had grown much since I’d last seen her. Still the happy little bundle though much more alert. Content and cheerful!  Grandpa Jim was meeting her for the first time…

We were able to help with her daycare since both Stephen and Amanda were working full time.  Lots of naps and snuggles, bottles and burps… 

Thanksgiving, our favorite holiday, was wonderful.  Stephen prepared and cook the entire meal! Great smells and deliciousness served up, their first big holiday in their new home.  

December 

Kathy celebrated a birthday, another 365 days to be thankful for…

We started preparations for finding winter storage for Arvie, making purchases for returning to Grenada and Inishnee… The blue Toad will live with Willow and family while we are gone.  Much packing and rearranging of luggage for weight distribution …

9 months of Land Yachting… 

Reconnecting and reminiscing 

Making new memories and cherishing old

We are thankful for our love ones

Fortunate to be able to live as we do and enjoy it

To all our friends and family… 

Thanks for hosting us, Thinking of us… 

Being part of our Journey

Now 

Back to Inishnee and …